City sticks with controversial widening, off-ramp proposal for Airport Parkway

The city is undeterred by opposition to a $91-million blueprint that would widen the Airport Pkwy., create an off-ramp at Walkley Road and build a roundabout at the top of the ramp.Chris Mikula / The Ottawa Citizen

The city is undeterred by opposition to a $91-million blueprint that would widen the Airport Parkway, create an off-ramp at Walkley Road and build a roundabout at the top of the ramp.

An environmental assessment up for approval by council sticks to the idea of widening the parkway from two to four lanes between Brookfield and Hunt Club roads. The city is keen on relieving the rush-hour pinch point on the parkway south of Brookfield Road where there is one lane in each direction.

Part of the controversy is tied to the city’s ambitions to improve the Trillium Line, which runs parallel to the parkway. The city wants to pour millions into extending the train line into Riverside South, but skeptics have pointed out the conflict of spending big money on a road when the city is trying to get more people to leave their cars at home and use public transit.

One of those skeptics is on city council.

“This contradicts the city’s highest level policy of promoting modal shift, and fails to enact the other part of the city’s policy which is to actively discourage private vehicle use,” said Capital Coun. David Chernushenko, whose central ward includes the north end of the parkway, in a staff report.

Chernushenko said the city would be better served if it spent the money on transit, intersection improvements and better pathways.

On the other hand, Gloucester-Southgate Coun. Diane Deans argues the road widening between Brookfield and Hunt Club roads is a must for south-end residents. Plus, she says, council already signed off on the concept in the transportation master plan.

“This work was unanimously approved by council as part of the TMP because there is a known need for its expansion to accommodate growth and increase future capacity,” Deans writes in the report.

Deans, however, is against widening Lester Road between the parkway and Bank Street. Widening Lester Road to four lanes is also included in the blueprint.

The most controversial part of the project cuts through the ward of River Coun. Riley Brockington, whose constituents have spoken up about the proposed southbound off-ramp from the parkway to Walkley Road, leading to a new roundabout.

The city likes the off-ramp because it will prevent cars cutting through neighbourhoods from Brookfield Road to Walkley Road, but some residents fear it will just dump more traffic onto Walkley. A proposal to reduce the number of lanes from four to two and add bike lanes in that area of Walkley Road also drew varied opinions.

The city has intended to complete the work over the long term in three phases, starting with the parkway between Brookfield and Hunt Club roads, followed by Lester Road and finally the parkway between Hunt Club Road and the Ottawa International Airport.

However, there’s no rush to get shovels in the ground since the city doesn’t have the money. Work wouldn’t begin until 2020 or later.

City staff will ask the transportation committee to approve the plan Wednesday.

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.